Storm Chasers

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The sky is darkening.  A whooshing roar, similar to a freight train passing by, is deafening. The trees start to quiver until a violent jolt breaks them in half and their massive trunks become part of the debris dancing in the wind. A roof flies off a house.

No one wants to witness this scene. This is a scene government official’s mandate residents evacuate from. And then there are those people driving towards the storm that everyone else is trying to escape. Most of us know them as storm chasers; some of them like to call themselves “extreme meteorologists.” Regardless of what you call this intriguing group, they are all hunting the most violent prey: nature.

Chasing storms has been around since the 1950s, but became mainstream in 1996 with the movie Twister, and then skyrocketed in 2007 when the Discovery Channel documented it in a widely popular series “Storm Chasers.” Storm chasing is a career for few, and a hobby for most. A storm chaser is a person who pursues imminent or existing severe thunderstorms. Storm chasers stem from all walks of life but most have a formal education or extensive knowledge of meteorology.

Chasing a storm is dangerous on its own, but the real threat comes when the chaser isn’t familiar with weather and storms in general. Professional or seasoned storm chasers know how to track storms and have the proper equipment to help them. These chasers know to look for satellite images that show bright white, high cloud tops that indicate budding storms. They know how to read the radar and track watches and warnings, the latest forecast discussions, and recent surface maps that show change in temperature, dewpoint, wind direction, cold front, or low-pressure system that can set off a storm. Cold air at high altitudes along with warm air close to the ground is favorable for a tornado. Winds at different altitudes blowing in different directions can also signify an impending tornado. It also requires patience. Some storm chasers will drive for 12 hours and not see the storm they were chasing. Ideally, a storm chaser will set up on a hill about three miles away to get the best view. In general, a chaser will ensure they can move perpendicular to a tornado’s path so they can escape if necessary. The same methodology isn’t exactly necessary to find a hurricane. When a hurricane is imminent, you know where to find it.

            Chasing storms is not an activity to be taken lightly, even so, its popularity is staggering. There are estimated to be thousands of storm chasers, and professional tours offer storm chasing experiences for the curious individual. For some, chasing storms is research, for others, it’s educational, but for all, it’s exhilarating. What’s often left un-chased, however, are the psychological aspects of such a dangerous “sport,” and the potential immorality of chasing something that kills people and destroys their homes.

            Psychological profiles of people based on “sensation-seeking” behavior that might identify motivations for chasing storms were created based on a study done by University of Missouri’s School of Natural Resources. The study surveyed people who signed up for a tornado chasing tour and used similar psychological tools that had been used to evaluate people who participate in other high-risk recreations (mountaineering, sky diving, etc).  While mountain climbers and stunt fliers displayed high levels of sensation seeking across all dimensions, recreational storm chasers scored very moderately in regard to sensation-seeking behavior. The researchers hypothesized that this difference in sensation seeking is because recreational storm chasers are drawn to new experiences, rather than the risks involved. 

While storm chasers may be drawn to novelty rather than danger, it is one of the few hobbies that coincide with tragedy, which is the foundation of its controversy. Hoping to catch a glimpse of a series of tornados that swept through Kansas City, Missouri in April, chasers parked side-by-side in the middle of a well-traveled interstate, blocking the exit. Chancy Smith, the director of emergency medical services for Dickinson County, exclaimed that the crowds of chasers who inundated his county to catch these storms were morons for risking their lives and the lives of others by obstructing emergency services. He later clarified that this did not apply to the legitimate chasers who chased for research or science. A few weeks later, the National Weather Service issued an early warning to the public of several tornadoes expected that weekend. An additional alert was sent just to emergency personnel, “expect an influx of people.”

            Storm chasers also tend to be among the first available to help the survivors, arriving before emergency personnel since they are the closest. Seasoned storm chasers argue that the amateurs, like the ones blocking interstates, are giving them a bad name. The safest bet to chase a storm as an amateur is to do so through a storm chasing tour company, which can step you back anywhere from $1,000 to $4,000. Even with the hefty price tag, however, it is a thriving industry.

            Despite the controversy and amateurs giving chasing a bad name, the research we have come across from storm chasing is invaluable.  Meteorologists are able to determine exactly what conditions cause tornados, although it is still unclear exactly when and where a tornado will form. With each tornado is another chase, and another chase is another opportunity for information. In 2007, the Discovery Channel crew was able to record “mini-tornados” that rotated within a main tornado. Later on, a computer model used this information to develop a more accurate representation of tornado formation and life cycle.